Star Fox The Search For Krystal
by Troygroomes
Summary: 4 years after the aparoid war fox must search for his missing love. will he find or not. note Command doesn't happen. in this fic.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Where it all began

The darkness of space had both a chilling and comforting scene as millions of stars filled up nearly every corner of the never-ending universe. As the awe-striking scene continues unabated, a massive fleet cruises through space with the Cerinia military livery painted on the exterior of the ships. The lead ship, a high-speed cruiser, was leading the fleet as countless Arwing-class fighters flew in divisions, all in the V formation. Flanking left were dreadnought ships armed with TXN-21 Plasma cannons and three anti-aircraft guns, two on the rear and one on the front. On the right flank were heavy cruisers armed with proto-plasma batteries and aircraft carriers with capacities averaging 20 fighters and shuttles and armed with anti-aircraft guns positioned at the front and rear.

On the bridge of the lead ship, named Cerinia, two flight officers were in control of the ship's mobility and defense controls. A vulpine with reddish-brown fur was wearing the standard black military uniform designated for generals and high ranking commanders, the shoulders of his uniform had three gold bars, the insignia for commanders.

On his right side stood a blue-furred vulpine wearing a special designed sleeveless T-shirt, a pair of military pants with black kneecaps, a light-metal cuff covering half of his left fore-arm and a staff at his back, complete with black military trekking shoes. The two were standing behind the flight officers as they checked for reports from a scout fighters sent in to check the situation at the Omega-2 space station, their destination.

"We've got the report" one of the officers said "The private military of the Carusos have made a defensive wall. Station's well defended with multiple anti-aircraft guns and a heavy battery"

The blue vulpine released a sigh as he looked at Fox "Do you think we can handle it?"

The brown vulpine looked down. "I hope so. She waited for rescue for four long years..."

4 year ago

"What the..."

"Oh... my... goodness..."

"No..."

"But how..."

"Aparoid City sure. But this..."

The scene could not be described by words alone. Corneria City, the once dominant capital of Lylat System, had been reduced to a wasteland. Buildings collapsed to the ground while others were burning or had taken heavy damage from the invasion of the Aparoid. The streets were littered with corpses of infected soldiers, civilians and military personnel while tanks and vehicles burned from being hit by missiles or gunfire hitting the gas tanks. The icon of Corneria, its prized Tower of Unity, lay in ruins as it slowly burned to the brink of collapse due to extensive damage while the once busy Corneria Space port at the heart of the city has become an outdoor morgue, bodies covered in cloth lay in state as military soldiers placed more corpses in the now cramped space.

The team was in a state of total shock. The remaining Aparoid had further attacked the planet after they have left for the orbital gate, leaving the Corneria Military and Corneria Defense Force to fend off the enemy. The surprise attack had decimated both military forces; 90% of all their men and vehicles lost, civilian losses rose sharply by the millions, and the further loss of the capital. More than 80% of Corneria's population was wiped out while the capital suffered civilian losses above 95%, paring to genocide.

The dark clouds and heavy rain had only made the desolate scene like something only seen in post-war movie scenes; Millions of Cornerians killed, losses reaching billions of credits, the economy left in a desolate state and many more survivors remained homeless or dying in the streets, wounded from the attack. Overwhelming the already weakened military, and, by a miracle, the two largest hospitals of the city stand largely intact, receiving minor damage due to the focused defense.

"This can't be Corneria. Last time we left it was still in better shape" Fox commented as he looked at the side of his cockpit window

As they flew above the destroyed capital, a grim sight that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The tower had finally buckled after fires finally weakened the reinforced steel supporting columns, collapsing almost vertically as a fountain-like debris cloud followed immediately after the start of the collapse.

Krystal started to sense the shouts of fear on the streets as people frantically ran away from the collapsing building as the tower buckled floor after floor. In seconds, she had lost the senses as the tower finally rested in heaps of rubble. The dust cloud had spread to a good number of city blocks as they all looked down onto their feet, guilt and pain soon overwhelming their emotions. The capital has now been brought to its knees. And all sense of hope seem bleak in this very dark moment for the system.

Nothing could compensate for the destruction that brought the mighty city down. Nearly all city blocks were leveled or ruins of buildings remained, smoke rising from all parts of the city.

But their situation had taken its worst toll yet. As they flew towards the heart of the Corneria government, their hearts sank almost immediately to the sight. The Military base had been reduced to ruins, leaving a part of the base virtually intact. The presidential residence had also been reduced to rubble, no area of the residence was standing.

"It's... it's hopeless!" Fox finally said "There's nothing left in Corneria than ruins and two surviving hospitals. The base is also in ruins and probably no hope in reaching high command"

"I couldn't get anything from the ruins. No senses. Nothing" Krystal added "I fear that general Pepper may not have escaped the invasion. There's no sign of his ship or any generals around"

Fox started to rub his temple. "Um... I'll take a closer look. Hopefully someone survived this. Krystal, you're with me. The rest, try to help any survivors you see"

He gently pushed the stick down as his fighter descended to the ground. His altimeter was telling him he's above 50 feet as he pulled down the throttles and decreasing speed, just enough to activate his diffusers and further slow down. Looking out, he could see a clearing to land just a few meters away from the base. Banking right, he started descending before lowering his landing skids. At around 10 feet, he powered down his engines and made a smooth landing as he heard the distinct shock absorbers taking the weight. On his left, he saw Krystal's Arwing land smoothly on charred rubble not too far from his position...

The mangled ruins of the once might military headquarters lay in state as the heavy rain slowly extinguished the flames. You couldn't imagine what monster would do such a thing; bodies lay on the ground, most were soldiers killed by defending the building, recognizable by their armor and service rifle, while others were civilians taking refuge from the surprise attack, thinking it was a safe haven. Wreckage of trucks carrying soldiers and civilians scatter the lot, most had burned to the point that their chassis was the last surviving piece while debris scatter over a wide area. Blood from the corpses had left trails on the pavement, all leading to puddles of mixed rain and blood.

Splashing sounds were a bit audible as Fox stepped onto a blood puddle, tainting his black and red boots blood red. The vulpine was now soaked, his flight suit offering the only protection against the rain, keeping his body dry but his head wet. His ears drooped as he saw the corpses and destroyed trucks in front, the sight instantly demoralizing him. Krystal was close to his side, having the same reaction as to Fox. Both were looking at each other, seeing the guilt and sorrow through their eyes.

He started to walk slowly as the heavy rain intensified further, as if those souls started to cry on the vulpine. Everywhere around him were corpses of soldiers and civilians young and old, blood trails ended up under the bodies. He was clenching his fists while gritting his teeth in agony and guilt, he failed to defend his own homeplanet, his own people, his own city. Seeing his face, it was clear that he was fighting tears as he walked past all those corpses laying on the cold, hard pavement.

Reaching the entrance, or whats left of it anyway, he heard something faint, almost whimpering, in the midst of the rubble. He immediately headed for the source as Krystal followed behind, hoping for some good news. As they entered the lobby, the only thing that they saw was the opposite of what they'd hope for

General Pepper was leaning on a column, blood flowing out from wounds. He was having trouble breathing as he clenched his hand on the grip of his assault pistol, pain overwhelming his senses.

"General! General Pepper!" Fox said as he ran towards the side of the severely wounded canine "General, can you hear me?"

"Fox..." He muttered before coughing up blood "They were... too strong..."

"General, stay with me." He turned around and looked at Krystal "Call Peppy. We need to bring him out of here"

With a bloodied hand, Pepper grabbed his vest and pulled him close. "No Fox. I won't make it..."

"General Pepper, you can't... you can't go yet!"

"It's alright Fox." He placed both of his hands to his shoulders "You made me proud... very proud Fox"

"General..."

"I have one more request Fox" He softly said as his voice faded further. "When Corneria recovers from this, tell Peppy that he will be my successor. Promise me that you'll tell him"

"I... I promise general"

He could feel his grip loosen as the canine leaned back onto the column before his hands fell to the ground, lifeless.

He immediately started shaking him. Calling out his name several times, trying to wake him up. But his effort ended in vain as he looked down on the floor.

He sighed as a stray tear fell from his eye. "Damn it... damn it..."

I would like to thank my friend Luke Takamen on his help on this and my other chapters.

Along with SkullFox for his letting me use his OC's Amelia and Voss.

And General Whitefur for the inspiration to write the fic.


	2. Chapter 2 good by general pepper

Chapter 2: Recovery

Corneria General Hospital  
20:00 hours

The heavy rain still continued to fall as Fox stood amongst the soldiers carrying the casket of General Pepper. The few tears sliding down his eyes were completely hidden by the strong rainfall as he looked at his Arwing. He and the team were assigned to launch his body and perform the cremation using the missiles of their Arwings; completely unorthodox but better than demoralizing the very few citizens left in Corneria with a cremation on the planet.

At last, with the clearing widened and his Arwing in the center, he was finally close to completing his last mission for the late general. The thrusters of the other Arwings were faintly audible in the rain as the team did one fly-by with the engines emitting the light metal-blue exhaust. The large line divided into three small ones as they created the peace symbol high above the ground but lower than the rainclouds.

With the peace symbol finally finished and slowly fading away, they made it to his fighter. With ease and grace, the six carefully placed the casket in a special containment capsule attached under the craft. With the task at hand completed, the vulpine gave a final salute to the general before boarding his craft. He was dry, his body at least, when he entered the cockpit. Outside, the soldiers saw the canopy move down until it locked in position.

Meanwhile, as he performed the start-up procedure, the communicator was showing Krystal's screen while Falco and Slippy's screens were smaller and positioned to the left.

"You all did great out there." Fox started as he looked at his communicator "He would really be proud of all of us."

The statement made the three bow their heads down, causing his ears to droop either in embarrassment or guilt. He let out a sigh before tapping in the ignition button, the progressive roaring of the engines slowly becoming audible.

He grabbed the throttle with his left hand and the stick with his right, his HUD screen appeared in front of him and started showing the status of the fighter. The current screen was showing the engine instruments, four digital dials slowly moving to the right together with a percentage meter on the bottom of each. He swept the screen to the right, switching from the engine status to the armor status. The entire layout of the fighter was shown on screen, all were glowing green. After that, he swept it again, moving to the weapons screen; the two SD laser batteries were at maximum performance while his reserve forward laser gun was at the ok mark. The two heat-seeking missiles stored in the missile bays were also at green.

"Final checks complete, let's take to the skies" he muttered before pushing the throttle forward. The Arwing responded as it lifted-off from the ground and started to move forward, picking up the speed afterwards. His auxiliary screen on the left was showing his speed and altitude; speed rising to 200 knots, altitude at a steady climb.

He pulled back the stick and pushed the throttle to full as his fighter rocketed to over 300 knots. His altimeter reached its limits and finally disappeared once he was close to space. His G-Diffusers made sure he wouldn't go through the harsh G-forces of the acceleration and transition from high to zero gravity.

The sky progressively became clearer and clearer until he was above Corneria's atmosphere. There, he was able to see his team waiting for him as he raced towards them

"Is everyone ready to fire?" He asked quietly. All of them nodded as he gave a faint smile.

He looked at his HUD screen, the laser batteries were at maximum output. He pressed a few buttons and the 'Armed' word started blinking on top of the screen. After arming his weapons, he started to power-up the engine of the capsule. His secondary HUD screen was showing the charge of the batteries while another gauge showed the level of heat being emitted. After finalizing, he scrolled his second HUD down and the launch button appeared.

He cleared his throat and with one deep breath, his index finger tapped on the button. The capsule flew forward before his radar screen picked up the signature; his IRAS or Identification, Response and Action System identified the target and showed him the optimal weapons to use, the laser batteries and his heat-seeking missiles.

Turning his attention to the main HUD screen, he swept the screen until he reached the weapons screen and armed the missiles. With that complete, his thumb flipped the cover for the missile trigger before placing it above the button.

"Systems are armed and ready, prepare to fire on my count."

"Missiles are at ready"

"Missiles assigned"

"Missiles armed"

"OK team, in 3… 2… 1…Fire!"

They pressed the trigger with synch as eight missiles raced towards the capsule at over mach 2. In a flash, a bright light erupted as they shielded their eyes using their arms. What was once a silver capsule had now been turned to specs, no traces or any identifiable parts of the unit were seen or picked up by their radar or IRAS.

"Rest in peace general" Fox silently muttered before facing the communications screen "That's it team, let's head back home"

A few months later

Only a miracle could have described the situation in Corneria; the nearly decimated planet had finally recovered from its tragic ordeal ten times faster than what was first speculated. Thanks to the careful strategic planning, organization and logistics of Peppy and the rest of high command that survived, the aid given had been used for the proper reasons. Corneria City had the fastest recovery than the planet itself and the fastest anywhere in Lylat, twelve times faster than thought, finally securing its role as the center of Lylat yet again.

It wouldn't have been possible as well without the Star Fox team giving the big morale boost in both the capital and the planet itself. For those past few months, all of them volunteered to assist with the recovery, either in financing and supplying or adding to the manpower and overlooking the series of operations that quickly, and effectively, rebuilt the city.

Now, the planet was back on its feet, stronger than ever. The capital had been completely upgraded, fail-safe and fail-deadly deterrent systems were stationed around the city, technological breakthroughs enabled access to advanced weapons and armor, ground, sea and air forces had also received a big boost with Star Fox giving the original design specifications of the Arwing, Landmaster and the Blue Marine, eventually creating military versions of them.

Five major monuments had been erected after the war. The tower of unity monument was built to commemorate the soldiers and civilians who died defending the city. The national memorial had been erected close to the main road that leads to the city, honoring those who served in the fight for the planet. Another memorial had been erected towards the seaport, remembering those who died at sea while defending the capital. The fourth memorial was located in the space port; it featured a group of fighters in V-formation rocketing for the skies. The fifth memorial was established towards the former presidential residence. There, a statue featuring the late president, General Pepper, and some of Corneria's greatest generals was erected with the Corneria flag behind them.

Even with all the memorials built to honor the dead, there were some monuments to commemorate the very few survivors of the army all over the planet. One of them was a statue of a soldier carrying his wounded teammate while aiming his service pistol. Below were the names of the very few survivors of the battle for Corneria, count ranges to less than a hundred. Another monument was built to commemorate the defeat of the Aparoids, and as a token of appreciation to the Star Fox team. It was a holographic screen with the team members saluting in front while the logo of Star Fox and the flags of the Cornerian military and Corneria became the background.

Gen. Pepper Advanced training facility  
Corneria Military Headquarters  
11:00 Hours

Dry… dusty… orange skies… the sun setting on the horizon…

Abandoned buildings with empty alleyways, streets covered in dust and few vehicles scattered around, just another day at the advanced training facility where environments vary from jungles to cities and situations like conventional and guerilla warfare. Up to the challenge were Fox and Krystal and a few Alpha Team members with Falco and Slippy and members of the SWAT team. Ten minutes scouting the urban setting had been good training not just for the Alphas and the SWATs, but to the team as well. Preparing for unconventional warfare and tactical use of guerilla strategies had been key after the last surprise attack and this training had been rigorous for the last fifty minutes.

Outside an abandoned warehouse were Fox and the rest of his team while Amila, one of Alpha Team's invaluable spies, checked the inside, looking for hidden snipers and useful supplies.

"Amila, anything we could use around here?" Fox inquired as she scanned an abandoned warehouse

"Got some gas and a few supplies" She replied "And… wait, there's movement at your six! Get out of there!"

The cocking sounds of assault rifles rung around; they were surrounded by SWAT team members. Falco walked forward while Fox and his team raised their hands.

"Sorry Fox! But guerilla tactics aren't your thing!" Falco smirked as he lowered his rifle.

"Yeah, yeah, just remember that being too cocky can also cost you your own life" He smirked before the sound of assault rifle fire rang around the air.

"Make sure to remember about any back-up units as well!" Amila shouted as her assault rifle emptied itself; the suddenness of her appearance caused the SWATs to fire in different directions, desperate to find the gunman.

Taking the opportunity, Fox took out his pistol-size blaster and started to fire back while his team took their stun rods and shocked the soldiers, overdriving their nervous system and knocking their lights out. Falco dropped to the ground with his hands behind his head, the barrel of a rifle aimed down his head.

"Don't Move!" Amila shouted while pointing her rifle towards his head. She heard him curse himself while a grin crept on her face, the ever arrogant Lombardi taken down by that weakness.

The setting changed, from a dusty abandoned city back to the original square room as big as a stadium. The large screen on the north wall showed just how Falco's team lost the fight; the red dots represented Fox's team and the Blue for Falco's with silver being the leaders. The red dots were clumped up while the blue formed a circle and one red dot was outside the ring behind the silver dot.

"I was expecting something like this" A voice said over the PA system "A well made plan can turn the tides against a guerilla tactic. The session is over, McCloud and Lombardi; I have a few words for the two of you. The rest, you are all dismissed"

A section of the east wall moved upward as sunlight shone beyond the exit. As soon as the section moved away, a small paramedic team came in to check on the SWAT members out cold from the shock therapy.

"Will they be alright?" Krystal asked while looking at the unconscious soldiers being treated.

"They'll live." A paramedic reassured while checking the pulse of a soldier. "The medical team took part in the stun rod design so that no one gets killed by accident."

A hand rested on Krystal's shoulder before looking back and smiling "Aren't you supposed to meet with the director? Falco went ahead"

"I suppose asking about the soldiers wouldn't hurt anyone, right?" He said before patting her back with his hands.

"That's unnecessary Fox" She replied before turning around "But I appreciate your concern"

"OK. I better get going" He pointed back with his thumb "Don't want the director to bark at me for being late"

He twisted towards his back and started running, leaving Krystal to check on everyone before heading out…

The metal door slid towards the left as Fox walked inside the room. Falco had already taken a seat while the director looked outside the large window with his hands behind his back.

"Good afternoon director" the vulpine said before saluting

"Same to you captain. Please, take a seat"

He lowered his hand and approached the chair to his right and sat down. The canine turned around and threw a picture towards the table before throwing a folder next to the picture, the word 'CONFIDENTIAL' stamped in the front.

"I called the two of you here because we have a small crisis on our hands" He pointed the folder with his finger "The documents inside were given to me by an agent working on the Tantalus case."

"The case about the stolen reconnaissance ship?"

"Precisely. The investigation took a turn when the agent informed us about a meet with an internal agent and found out that someone inside our organization made negotiations to steal the ship for a huge sum of cash. Most presumably the defector has connections to the Caruso family"

"The totalitarians of Venom?"

"Exactly Fox. It turns out one of our 'friends' defected to the Caruso Regime, bringing the Recon ship for a price and giving top-secret Cornerian documents as a gift"

"You mean the blueprints for the…?!"

"I'm afraid so. The documents were the designs of the military variants of the Arwing and landmaster. Another agent confirmed that they successfully recovered the blueprints for your variants."

"But how could that happen? And, how will the CSSA fix this situation?"

"That is why we come to you, Fox. The CSSA needs your help with this investigation. We want you to find out who sold out our project and find the person responsible for this."

As the conversation continued, Fox noticed that Falco became a little silent, anxious to be a little precise. The director had also observed the behavior and placed his hands on his pockets.

"So Falco, need to go somewhere?" He shot, causing him to snap back

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I've got a… date with Katt. And I uh… wouldn't want to keep her waiting" He replied.

"Uh-huh. Well, you can go now Falco, I'll give you the details later" He turned around to face the director "Would you let him sir?"

"Sure. Even I wouldn't want to be late on my own dates. You're free to go"

In a rush, the avian stood up and walked outside with slight speed, leaving the two behind.

"I think we need to keep an eye on him. He seemed anxious when we discussed about the issue. You don't think…"

"He can't be!" Fox retorted immediately "He's been a long friend and I know for certain he isn't the betrayer."

"Well I can't argue with that anymore. But still, I'll have some agents keeping a close eye on him, that's a final decision"

"Very well" he grumbled

"I know you trust him a lot Fox, but we need to play safe. Who knows, maybe you could be wrong about him. But let's keep that away for a while. I'll be calling you very soon if ever we need you to go do some investigating. Get some rest for now Fox, you're going to need it."

"Thank you sir" the vulpine saluted before turning back and leaving the room…


End file.
